Mehwish parla al sole - Recensione

[Blog] Recensione di Mehwish parla al sole, terzo romanzo di Uzma Aslam Khan, autrice pakistana di grande talento.

Le prime del 24 ottobre 2012: Chakravyuh

Chakravyuh, diretto da Prakash Jha, è un film a sfondo politico che esplora il controverso tema dei naxaliti. Nel cast Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Manoj Bajpayee, Kabir Bedi e Om Puri. La pellicola è stata proiettata qualche giorno fa in prima mondiale al 56esimo British Film Institute London Film Festival. Trailer. Vi segnalo l'intervista concessa da Prakash Jha a Priya Gupta, pubblicata da The Times of India il 28 luglio 2012. Done with politics not with making political films: Prakash Jha: 

'Your next film Chakravyuh deals with Maoism and you travelled through the Red Corridor to research for it. What was the experience like?

The root cause for this social unrest is primarily our feudal mindset which creates systems to benefit a few and exploit the rest. Our democracy begins and ends with an election. The problem with democracy is that unless it has equal participation by everybody in the real sense it does not work. The Maoists feel that when the country was not independent they could live in the forest and survive. Post independence the government has taken over their land, they feel left out as they have no access to a better life. The government communicates with them through forest officials and guards who exploit them. (...) So while they are denied the benefits of development, the khakhiwalas [gli agenti] also exploit them. The backlash started in Naxalbari, in Bengal, over a contentious piece of land. When they were denied the land which was theirs, the Naxals got together and killed the landlord. That’s how the principle of wresting back land through force was established. The so called ‘Red Corridor’ covers more than 250 districts. These are areas which are liberated zones meaning that they do not operate under the government of India. As long as the conflict was restricted to these areas it did not affect us, but the conflict in Manesar at the Maruti factory is now suspected to have been triggered by the Naxals. So the conflict from the jungles is coming to industry. There are educated people from universities like Mumbai, Nagpur, Osmania, JNU [Jawaharlal Nehru University] from where people are being recruited. My concern is that this movement is coming to our neighborhood. And so if this discontent comes to Dharavi, how will you save Mumbai? Through my film I am bringing this issue in the public domain and trying to warn the population of this country to wake up as we are sitting on a time bomb waiting to explode'.

Nagesh Kukunoor in Italia

Nagesh Kukunoor nei giorni scorsi era in vacanza in Italia. Ecco i suoi tweet:

8 ottobre 2012 - 'Drinking the local Chianti. Its a truly wonderful red. Goes great with just about anything. Inspite of being touristy, Florence is every bit as beautiful as the tour books describe. Time to shoot a film here [magari!!]. For all you foodies out there, nothing as delicious as fresh bread, fresh pressed olive oil and rock salt. A Tuscan tradition. Awesome'.
9 ottobre - 'Spent 3 hours in the Uffizi Gallery. Really unnerving to be standing 2 feet from a Michelangelo... After a while I got tired of saying wow. Spent 2 hours people watching in the Palazzo Vecchio square. Took some inane pictures and was devoid of all thought. At peace'.
12 ottobre - 'After 2 amazing days wandering the streets of Rome, I veni vidi vici... Roman Holiday, one of those great romantic tales makes sense after visiting Rome. Will take my shot with my films with #cornettoindia'.
14 ottobre - 'Had to do the touristy thing and see the leaning tower of Pisa. Was cool to see it finally jump from fifth std textbook to reality. Arguably ate the best sandwich ever. Raw tuscan sausage, stracchino cheese, arugula leaves, truffle oil and schiacciata bread'.
15 ottobre - 'Finally did the southern city of Siena. Even after doing so many churches, the Siena cathederal was a thing of beauty. Cool fact, the main square in Siena, piazza del Campo has an annual bareback horse race, Palio di Siena. Its nuts! Youtube it'.

Tom Hanks: I admire Aamir Khan's work for society

È curioso che Aamir Khan sia sempre stato accostato dai suoi fan a Tom Hanks, e che proprio il celebre attore hollywoodiano abbia recentemente manifestato la sua ammirazione per Aamir, dopo aver letto un articolo che lo riguarda pubblicato da Time Asia nel numero del 10 settembre 2012 (per un estratto: clicca qui). I admire Aamir Khan's work for society: Tom Hanks, NDTV, 9 ottobre 2012: 'I really admire the work that Aamir Khan is doing (in India). Very few celebrities take the initiative of coming forward to change the society and he has done a remarkable job. (...) It's the 'giving-back' that's tough. Aamir seems to understand the influencing power of being a celebrity and is using it to act as a catalyst for change in society, something that definitely deserves both appreciation and support from all quarters'.

Kareena Kapoor: If you are content, you'll never cheat

Da qualche giorno circola in rete la fotografia ufficiale delle nozze di Kareena Kapoor e di Saif Ali Khan. Gli sposi sono ritratti da Avinash Gowariker in una posa molto classica e regale. In India il rito del matrimonio prevede diverse cerimonie, il cui numero in questo caso è arricchito dal fatto che Kareena è di religione hindu e Saif di religione musulmana. Il fatidico sì è stato pronunciato il 16 ottobre 2012. Per Saif si tratta del secondo matrimonio. 

Ne approfitto per segnalarvi l'intervista concessa da Kareena a Vivek Bhatia, pubblicata da iDiva il 19 ottobre 2012. Kareena Kapoor: If you are content, you’ll never cheat:

'Do you think, this is the time for actresses to break the mould and carry films on their shoulders?

Let’s face it. It’s a male-dominated industry. (...) I’ve always maintained that box-office success is what counts. People don’t care about your performance.

Madhur Bhandarkar’s films thrive on sensationalism, no?

Not Heroine. Fashion was more on the sensational side. Heroine was sensational in parts but it had depth in content. It was a potent mixture of commercial elements, content and performances. The fact is that the person who buys the ticket on a Friday is going in for sensationalism. No one wants to see my performance. That is secondary. They want to see what Madhur Bhandarkar has made. (...) I think my role in Heroine is an award-winning performance. It is bold, eccentric and different. It’s not run-of-the-mill. I’ve given it my all. The way I’ve looked, the way I’ve performed is spectacular. (...) The character is bold. (...) But by bold I don’t mean skin show. At the end of the day, I’m a commercial actress. There are certain boundaries to be taken care of. I don’t think I could have done The Dirty Picture. Vidya [Balan] is so talented that she managed to pull it off with ease. I do have my limitations.

Reportedly, you asked Madhur to rewrite a few scenes...

That’s not true at all. (...)

Do you get affected after playing intense roles?

While working for Heroine, it did get disturbing at times. So while shooting certain scenes, I’d get upset. (...)

Why did you opt out of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s [Goliyon Ki Raasleela] Ram Leela opposite Ranveer Singh?

Sanjay and I wanted to work together for 13 years but it never worked out. There were some date problems with Ram Leela. My managers did not think it would be a good idea to give 200 days to a film, at this stage of my career. I was offered two films at the same time - Karan Johar’s untitled film to be directed by Punit Malhotra opposite Imran Khan, and Prakash Jha’s Satyagraha opposite Ajay Devgan. So I went ahead with them.

You and Prakash Jha seem quite an unusual combination.

Prakash is an immensely successful director. His heroines have strong roles. Also, Ajay is a successful actor. I’m sure I can work with Ranveer in the future but as of now I’d like to work with Ajay.

Does your choice of movies depend on the bankability of the star opposite you? 

Yes, I’d like to work with commercially bankable stars. I’ve done Omkara and Golmaal 2 and 3 with Ajay. If people say I’ve chosen to work with Imran over Ranveer, that’s also because I’ve given a commercial hit with Imran (Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu). It has been one of the best performances of my career. And the chemistry was brilliant. (...)

What’s your equation with Ranbir [Kapoor]?

Ranbir and I aren’t particularly close to each other. Look, I’ve generally not been close to anyone in the family. I’m independent, in my own space and doing my own thing. I’ve only been very close to Lolo (sister Karisma Kapoor). Also, I have studied in a boarding school. Anyway, I was not really in touch with the family.

Is there any kind of bitterness with the rest of the Kapoors? 

Not really. But every family has its own set of problems. A few people may never get along. That’s normal, not a big thing. (...)

Is it because your career is at its peak that you don’t want to get distracted by your personal life?

I firmly believe that being married or not, cannot affect my career. I’ve lived with a man for five years. Before that, I was in another relationship for five years. I’ve never shied away from admitting to being in love. And I’ve had a career parallel to my personal life. I’m not one of those actresses who’d say, ‘Oh! I’m so busy and my life is from studio to home and home to studio!’ I have a personal life but I also have my career; I’m a thorough professional. The image I have on screen has got nothing to do with how I am in real life. The minute I get home, I turn off my cellphone and have nothing to do with the onscreen Kareena Kapoor. (...) People should know about my films and performances. Stop giving a heroine’s married life so much importance.

Your relationship with Saif [Ali Khan] is five years old. Has the initial excitement died down?

Not at all. We’re best friends and lovers. (...) We are strong individuals and we give each other space. It’s great that Saif and I have a 10-year age gap. He has more knowledge than I do. He has broadened my horizons. Whether it’s fine dining, reading or travelling; he’s just amazing. He’s well-read and well-spoken. He’s supremely successful in whatever he does. Why should I care about who’s doing what, as far as Saif and I are doing our work, earning bucks and going for holidays.

Would you ever cheat?

No, I don’t think so. There are temptations but if you’re happy and content with your man, then you’d never cheat. The only time you’d look elsewhere or stray is when you’re unhappy. (...)

If Saif asks you to give up your career, how would you react?

You think Saif would ever say that? In fact, he’d tell me to work. He’s modern in thought. But it would be quite funny if he’d ask me to get into a burqa.

Your wildest fantasy?

(Sighs) Moving to Paris. Away from the paparazzi. If I get bored of the anonymity, then I’ll come back. I just want to do my work, go there and chill. Here, the paparazzi wants to know what I’m eating, what I’m wearing. It gets annoying after a point'.

È morto Yash Chopra

Qualche ora fa Yash Chopra si è spento in un ospedale di Mumbai. Lo scorso 27 settembre aveva compiuto 80 anni.